Clothespin assembly



May 22, 1951 A. LEWIS 2,554,199

CLOTHESPIN ASSEMBLY Filed April 20, 19,50

INVENTOR. 00105 A 51021! Patented May 22, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFTCE CLOTHESPIN ASSEMBLY Louise A. Lewis, Kansas City, Mo.

Application April 20, 1950, Serial No. 156,975

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a clothes pin assembly for clothes lines.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a clothes pin construction wherein the clothes pin can be retained upon the clothes line in such a manner as to have free sliding movement therealong and at the same time leave the parts adapted to engage with the clothes free to be operated for the engagement of the clothes therewith or for the disengagement of the clothes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide with a clothes pin having spring connected parts, a hanging wire having a hook upon the same adapted to be placed over the line and which extends through one of the wood parts and engages with the other wood part in such a manner as to prevent the hook from twisting or turning and so that it will be maintained in a vertical position and wherein the hook will prevent any lateral twisting or displacement of the wood parts upon the spring hinge.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a clothes pin adapted to slide upon the clothes line and. a covering adapted to be secured upon the line over a group of the clothes pins and by a clothes pin, whereby the clothes pins can be left assembled upon the line and protected against the weather and disengagement therefrom, the covering being provided with a slide fastener arrangement operable over the bottom thereof to provide easy access to the clothes pins and to permit the sliding movement of the clothes pins along the line without the complete detachment "of the covering from the line.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a clothes pin assembly for clothes lines which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, compact, easy to open for access to the clothes pins, easily fixed to one end of the clothes line, convenient to use and efficient in operation For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conneotion with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of two clothes pins secured to a line and with a piece of clothing connected by the same to the line.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the clothes pin having the hook extending between the parts and used for the connection of the clothes pin with the line.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clothes pin assembly upon the line and with the cover thereof broken away to show the connection of the cover with the line and the assembled clothes pins therewithin.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line d-fl of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of clothes pin wherein a spring clip is provided on one end of the clothes pin part to secure the clothes pin to the line.

Fig. 6 is a still further form of a clothes pin wherein the hook formation is a part of the spring and extends through the clothes pin parts.

Referring now to the figures, l0 and H represent respectively clothes pin parts connected together by a spring I2 and adapted, when squeezed, to permit a cloth piece l3 to be inserted between the parts and upon the release of the parts to be retained by the same, as shown in Fig. 1.

In order that the clothes pin can be slid along line M, there is provided a hook member l5 extending from the part [0 and laterally therefrom. In the part H] is a hole I5 through which the hook extends. In the part II are parallel holes l6 and H. The hook wire is extended through the hole 16, upwardly along part II, through hole I! inwardly and downwardly along the inner side of part II. By having the loop and the two openings !6 and I! in the part ll into which the loop extends, the hook cannot be twisted and will be kept properly aligned on the parts.

It will be seen that the clothes pins can be easily slid along the clothes line i l and assembled in a group along the line in the manner as shown in Fig. 3. When so assembled, they may be enclosed by a covering 18 formed preferably of waterproof material and generally of cylindrical shape. This cover IS comprises end members I!) and 20. These end members have openings 2| and 22, respectively, for receiving the line. Extending from these openings radially outwardly on the end members and longitudinally along the main body of the covering is a slide fastener arrangement 23 having a slide 24. By pulling this slide, the covering can be made to either enclose the group of clothes pins on the line or to permit them to be moved along the line for use. Once the covering is opened, it can be folded back and the clothes pins can be released. If desired, the entire covering can be completely removed from the line at this time.

In order to fix the covering upon the line against longitudinal displacement therealong, the end member 20 of the covering has fastening strips 25 and 25 over which a clothes pin 21 can be placed to secure these strips to the line and thereby prevent the movement of the covering therealong. lhe line H is secured in any man ner to a hook 2? on a post 28.

In order to keep the clothes from sliding upon the line with the clothes pins, one of the clothes pins is used in the ordinary way at least to one end of the line so that the entire line of clothes will be anchored. If desired, the clothes pin can be used at the opposite end of th line in the usual way so that the clothes will not slide toward the center of the line.

While there has been shown a hook formation it for receiving the rope, it will be understood that rings or eye formations can be used. These clothes pins do not need to be removed from the line at any time as they are fully enclosed by the cover when not in use. It would be well if a ring or an eye formation beused to secure the hooks in order to positively prevent the easy removal of placement upon the clothes line.

It will be apparent that with this arrangement that has been provided, the line will not have to be wiped off at any time as the clothes do not engage with it. The arrangement prevents cloth stains from the line. This invention also eliminates the need for a clothes pin bag, apron or some other device forcont-aining the clothes pins. The clothes pins will always be available. The invention also permits one to stand in one spot while hanging the clothes. The clothes pins are simply brought from their storage space on the line andattached to the clothes being hung. The first and last piece of clothing are pinned over the line in the usual way. The clothes are easily gathered by running them into a small space and removing them from the clothes pins. In the case of rain or high wind, the clothes can be run together and a plastic or weatherproof covering can be placed over them in case the clothes are still wet. If theyare dry, they can be gathered quickly.

Incold weather, the clothes pins can be put on the clothes and then later connected to the line. By this method, the clothes will not at any time freeze to the line. Theclothes are removed with the clothes pins and when they have been thawed, the clothes pins can be easily removed from them. It is an easy matter to run the clothes along the line so that the white clothes can be run into the sun and the colored ones run into the shade and out of the sun. The clothes pins hang on the line at a very convenient angle to be manipulated and worked. The pins will always be available for use and in the proper place on every wash day. After they have been extended on the line, they can be easily returned when the clothes are to be gathered. The cover :8 will enclose these pins and they will be kept in a clean manner.

In Fig. 5, the clothes pin parts and H are held together by spring I2. The part I!) has a spring clip 3| secured to the upper end of the same. The upper end of the part It] is notched, as indicated at 32. The spring clip fits tightly down over the part It and into the notch. On the rear face of the part In is an inwardly bent end 33 that enters a slot in the part It to prevent its outward displacement. Another portion of the clip 3| extends downwardly over the front of the part H], as indicated at 34. The end of this portion is turned up, as indicated at 35. A notch 35 is provided in the face of the part [0 to receive the rope.

In Fig. 6, there is shown a still further form of a clothes pin construction. In this form there is provided a spring 31 which connects the parts together and which has extensions that extend through the parts from the part H3 and upwardly through the part I I to provide a hook formation 38 at one side of the clothes pin. The extension is indicated generally at 39. Accordingly, the spring and the hook formation is formed of one wire.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it will be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A clothes pin covering for clothes lines comprising covering material having end portions withcentral openings therein, said end portions being slit radially outwardly from the central openings therein and along the body of the easing, fastening means extending along the casing from one-end to the other through which access can be had to the interior of the casing.

2. A clothes pin covering for clothes lines comprising cover-ing material having end portions with central openings therein, said end portions being slit radially outwardly from the central openings therein and along the body of the casing, fastening means extending along the casing from one "end to the other through which access can be had to the interior of the casing, and fastening strips extending from one of the end portions of the covering and adapted to extend along the'clothes line whereby to be secured with the clothes line by the clothes pin so that the casing can be held against longitudinal di placement-upon the clothes line.

LOUISE A. LEWIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,583,049 Penley Sept. 4, 1928 1,751,229 Bigelow Mar. 18, 1930 1,838,702 Partridge Dec. 21, 1931 1,874,371 Bower Aug. 30, 1932 2,094,186 Patrick Sept. 28, 1937 

